Empyrean Church
The Empyrean Church is a faith based on the worship of the nine Empyrean gods and is derived from the ancient dwarven worship of titan masters. The church is widespread though centralized in Findle and Thessan. It is divided into a very broad and bureaucratic hierarchy. The island nation of Herat is ruled by a cult organization dedicated to Morrigan above all others. The church takes a very strong stance against elevating mortals to deific possitions and considers worshippers of "lesser powers" as heretics to the true gods. The church frequently works in opposition to those worshippers which often lead to bloodshed. Within the church's hierarchy there are some sects dedicated to individual gods. These sects occasionally come to blows when the works of opposing deities conflict with one another. A prime example is the open hostility between worsipers of Nuadun and his brother Azogun. Nuadun Materan Lugun Morrigan Cernunun Parun Azogun Taotatun Lyttan Hierarchy The Church is divided into many tiers, some unique to individual sects. Saint In the Empyrian Church, the title "Saint" denotes a person who has been formally canonized, that is, officially and authoritatively declared a saint, by the Church, as the motal will of a god. Saints are often refferenced by a charactaristic they were known to show in life. One such saint being Saint Reluse, who was known to be exceptionally tenacious. Bishop A bishop is an experienced priest or cleric who has been tasked with overseeing the clergy of a city. Cleric A cleric is a traveling priest, often tasked or self apointed with bringing their faith into the wider world. They generally play a more active roll in the service of their faith and often take to adventuring. Clerics tend to arm themselves and learn less subtle spells than priests. Priest A priest is a genral practitioner of the Empyrian faith. Priests work to interpret the will of the church and do not commonly have access to powerful spells. Deacon A deacon is an apprentice priest. They are often young men and women. Harvast Brotherhood(Materan) The Harvast Brotherhood are an extremely secretive order. Known outwardly as bankers and bureaucrats, the Brotherhood controls food production and storage. The brotherhood provides support to farmers and ranchers in exchange for donations and has close ties to the stormlords who provide adequate rainfall in times of drought. Hierophants(Cernunnun) A hierophant is a priest dedicated to Cernunnos who works with druids to protect sacred sites and help others understand the importance of such locations. Inquisitors(Azogun) An inquisitor is a priest who serves to identify and remove heretics and other threats from within. Inquisitors are seen as a necessity by the church but often come to blows with templars over ideological differences. Mystic Theurges(Morrigan) A theurge is an experienced priest who specializes in researching powerful magics and interpreting the will of Morrigan. Most Theurges are members of the House of Herat, the ruling body of Herat Isle. Ravager(Lyttan) A Ravager is a type of priest, dedicated to Lyttas, god of madness. Ravagers do not ascribe to the hierarchy and have only one ceremony; savage murder. Ravagers are universally reviled as worship of Lyttas is a serious offence to the church. Ravagers are often mistaken for wounded priests as they favour white robes, which are better for displaying gore. Stormlords(Taotatun) The stormlords are priests enamoured by the power of natures wrath. Summoning forth powerful storms at sea and on land. These men and women can range from simple rain-callers to demeted hermits. Little is known about their organization if there is any, and even less is known about how the knowledge is passed form one to another. Templars/Shining Blades (Nuadun) A templar is a cleric or paladin tasked the with protection of Empyrian churches or cathedrals. They often work as agents of the church on "prolonged missions or protection." Shining Blades are a specific order from Tus. They attempted an ill fated coup d'etat against the Steward of Findle when the theocracy was dissolved in the fourth age. With the restoration of the theocracy in the fifth age, king Pahlin Holt and Steinthor Drakeson have reistablished the Shining Blades in Tus. They now serve as agents of the king.